


Don't Make Me go Back

by Petchricor



Series: Guardian of the Galaxy one-shots and drabbles [4]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Again, Gen, but I figured it was better safe than sorry, moar friendship!, rocket's past comes up, the description isn't very graphic, written before vol. 2 came out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 16:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10925217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petchricor/pseuds/Petchricor
Summary: When Rocket finds himself back at his own personal hell he just can't handle the memories. Luckily, Peter's there to get him out





	Don't Make Me go Back

**Author's Note:**

> more self-indulgent fluffy friendship shit

They had heard about an investigation on a facility deep underground and were called because it might be connected to the man they were currently hunting, he had stolen one of the infinity stones and they had to get it before he used it. They searched every inch, looking at the computers, but nothing useful was found. Peter had followed Rocket down the hallway to another part of the building. Rocket didn't understand why they were still even here, there obviously wasn't anything for them to find. But yet they hadn't left yet and insisted that there was something here for them to find. So, Rocket was forced to at least act like he was looking for evidence. He grunted and headed into a random room, looking around him as he pretended to look for stuff, he grabbed a hunk of metal and threw it away. He turned to walk to the other side of the room. Then he froze.

He was standing in the middle of a large row of cages, animal cages. There was a terrible smell that was a mix of chemicals, blood and feces and each cage was covered in what was causing the stench. Beyond the row of cages was a large door through which Rocket could just barely see a lab with a desk and medical table he could never forget. His ears flew back and his tail his the ground, his whole body going completely cold. Suddenly he was in the past, the cages full to the brim with animals crying out for help in both English and animal noises, reaching their paws and hands out in desperation as Rocket ran passed them, the loud noise ringing loud in his ears as they begged for him to free them too. He had just run passed them with the scientists hot on his tail. He hadn't even thought about stopping to help them. He left them to die and become freaks like him.

_Get back here you vermin!_

_Grab him!_

_You're ours you stupid freak!_

_Help us! Help us!_

Peter whirled around when Rocket started screaming bloody murder, reaching for his gun. Rocket wasn't being attacked, nothing was there, but he was screaming as though he had just seen someone die a horrific death and tears were in his eyes and he backed away in fear. Peter ran over and touched him, leaning back when Rocket clawed at him so hard that he sent himself stumbling backwards. That's when Peter saw the words written over the doorway; _Animal Experiments Lab_. He scooped Rocket up in his arms and ran out of the room. Rocket struggled against his hold, screaming for release and begging him not to take him back. Peter just kept running, everyone staring at him as he ran passed but he didn't care, all that mattered was getting Rocket out of there. When he reached the ground floor he shoved passed the guards and out into daylight. Rocket pulled out of Peter's strong hold and tried to crawl over his shoulder and away, but Peter kept a firm grip on him.

"Rocket! We're out, you're ok!" Peter shouted over Rocket's screaming pleas. Rocket stopped trying to get away but his claws still dug into Peter's jacket so hard that it was a miracle that they weren't also going through his shirt and drawing blood. "You're safe, it's ok." Rocket was shaking so terribly that Peter swore it was making him shake too. He stayed silent as Rocket stared at the doors, his mind trying to comprehend that he was safe through the fear that had captured his mind. Rocket's grip lessened a bit.

"I'm sorry," he breathed out, his whole body trembling. "I'm so sorry I didn't save you, any of you. I'm so sorry." Peter frowned and felt Rocket practically fall against him, his whole body losing the energy it had been running off of. "Don't take me back. Please, don't make me go back in there." His voice came out more like a sob than a tone. Peter shook his head.

"No, no of course not. You are _never_ going back there, Rocket. I promise you that," Peter told him. Rocket nodded and they fell into a short silence, which was broken when Rocket started to cry. He held tightly to Peter, not with his claws but with his arms around his neck like a scared child. Peter held him and patted his back, his whole body shuddering at the thought of what must have happened in that place. It was disgusting now and he couldn't even imagine what it must have looked like while in use. "Hey, listen to me, you don't have to worry about any of that ever happening again, ok? You've got us now, if anyone even so much as thinks about doing it again, they die. Got it?" Rocket nodded.

"Ok," he whispered, not loosening his grip on Peter. He buried his face in Peter's shoulder and trembled, trying to calm his breathing. "Can-can we go back to the ship, please?" Peter nodded and walked off, carrying Rocket all the way onto the ship before sitting him down. Rocket wiped his eyes and Peter walked away, leaving him to his thoughts. The door opened and the others walked in. Peter just shook his head and walked to the kitchen, none of them asked.

AΩ

That night Rocket woke to a nightmare like he hadn't had in years. Claws and hands grabbing at him as he ran through the cages towards the freedom that he didn't exactly remember how he achieved. Voices screaming at him, telling him that he belonged to them and that he couldn't get away. It was so dark, so loud and so disgusting, and lonely too. Rocket curled up on himself and tried to force the memories away, but they only came closer. He hopped out of bed and pulled his pants on before he opened the door and walked out onto the ship. He snuck passed Groot and up the stairs, turning his head when he heard someone humming in the cockpit. He quickly walked up on all fours to see who it was.

"Peter?" he whispered, starling the man who was sitting in the pilot seat. Peter looked down at Rocket and just nodded. Rocket got up on two feet and rested his hands on the armrest. "What are you doing up?" Peter raised a brow. Rocket huffed and looked away. "I just went back to my personal hell, what do you think?" Peter just nodded and looked away.

"I couldn't sleep." Rocket raised a brow. "We're chasing after a crazed maniac that has it out for us. That's not exactly a lullaby." Rocket nodded in agreement and leaned against the armrest silently, watching as Peter played a game. The silence was a comfortable one that neither felt the need to break. When the game ended Peter looked over. "Still there?" Rocket shrugged and they fell into another silence, this one not so comfortable. Rocket looked back over when he heard a soft patting noise to see Peter patting his leg. Rocket's ears flew back in an insulted way for a moment before he hopped up and curled up in Peter's lap. "Comfortable?"

"Yeah yeah, shut up," Rocket mumbled tiredly. Peter chuckled and went back to playing his game. Rocket watched him until his eyes felt heavy and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's a wrap!
> 
> Thanks for reading, please review, be good and if you can't be good dont get caught


End file.
